Continued from Devotional

I know that this page is usually reserved for current events but I’m just getting started.

I was released from intensive care much sooner than expected. They put me in a regular room and I was progressing better than expected. However, I couldn’t go home yet. They said I needed to go to a rehab hospital and Marianjoy was their first choice for two reasons; it was the best and I had been there after the first stroke.

The insurance company thought differently though. They flatly refused the idea and it looked like the other choices weren’t being considered by them as well. If you ever had to deal with insurance companies, you know how hard headed they can be. When I was told how my fate was being tossed around by idiots, I asked the nurse to send for a chaplain immediately.

When he arrived, I quoted Matthew 18:20 and told him he had to be the other person because I needed “The big guns” for the prayer that had to be said. I told him about the insurance company and asked him to start a formal prayer but I also told him to let me add some words before he ended it. He seemed puzzled but went on. When he prompted me to say my piece I kept it short and to the point. I just said, “God, meet the insurance company. Insurance company, meet God!”

The chaplain laughed about it and left after a short talk. Minutes later the nurse informed me that the insurance company reversed their decision and they had no problems about sending me to Marianjoy. She said she never saw one ever change their minds so suddenly; just like it never happened. Imagine that.

Now I realize that any cynic could say that it was a coincidence and they could give a good argument. I don’t believe in coincidences. If you believe in God and think it out fully, you can’t be where you weren’t meant to be. He wanted me at Marianjoy for a reason and no insurance company could change His mind.

There have been many times in my life when I reflected on an event I survived and wondered why I didn’t die. Either helicopter crash should have been my demise or either stroke could easily been the end for me.

When I was young and drank a lot, I used to say the reason was that He just wanted to keep me around to see what else I could survive, like a lab rat. Now when I think back to such trying times, I think about the times right after each survival. I think about the lives during that moment with which I crossed paths.

He wanted me to survive because He knew I was the right person to help the next person in need of a prayer. I guess what I’m saying is that your life isn’t over until the time is just right. In my case, He had some things He wanted me to do yet and I’m just doing my best to be aware of the chance to oblige.

I’ve learned never to ask why things are the way they are. I’m crippled and I walk funny and I’m not an eloquent speaker but I get around none the less.

I know, from some emails, that I’ve helped a few people deal with issues in their lives because of things I’ve said or done. One person said that the moment she saw me in church so soon after the stroke made her believe in prayer. They may not be big deals to some and if I hadn’t been there to say or do those things, someone else may have, but we’ll never know.

God wants us around to help each other. Sometimes, just a word from a stranger can make the difference between the right and wrong path and without that word, a person may lose their faith. That would be the real tragedy; not whether you look or sound good saying it. I was given a chance to pray with several people and the experience helped me as much, if not more than those I prayed with. Like the last stroke, this was a blessing.

I saw many miracles at Marianjoy. The ones that go unnoticed are the most amazing. For instance, I was in the clinic one day and the door to my exam room was still open. I saw a young boy race by in a cart that looked more like it was made to hold laundry. He laid in it on his back with his feet dangling over the edge and he paddled his feet to propel himself.

At first it seemed like a child just having fun but as I watched him giggling as he raced up and down the hall, I realized they had just found a way for the boy to get around with what really was a bad disability. That was a custom device for his lack of mobility, perhaps one of a kind. The people at Marianjoy can find ways to make such things happen and I really admire that.

The little boy smiled and waved at me as he scooted towards the exit and to my surprise his mother was pushing his brother, right behind him in an oddly shaped special wheelchair. She smiled and said “Hi” as they left and the two children seemed so well adjusted and genuinely happy.

I asked the nurse about them and found out that they are a very Christian family. Years ago, children with such disabilities died in institutions. They may have received basic nursing and doctors care but little else. Families with faith and advances in medicine brought us out of those dark ages.

It may seem like a child with such a disability will never have much of a life, but such children melt the coldest hearts and have a knack of bringing families together. Even at such a young age, they pass on what they’ve learned with nothing more than a simple smile given openly to a stranger. After seeing that, can anyone tell me they don’t believe in miracles?

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3